Featured Outing – Exploring Bluff Spring Fen

By Jeff Gahris

The River Prairie Group outings committee normally leads a hike in Bluff Spring Fen in the spring, but on August 25, we returned to this amazingly diverse Illinois Nature Preserve in Elgin to experience the change in flora and color of late summer in the prairies, wetlands, and savannahs. We have never explored it in late summer. The fen is designated as one of the highest quality natural areas in the state, so it was no surprise that we found the late season to be stunning, as you can see in the photographs. Our hike ended with an opportunity to inspect several specimens of Closed Bottle Gentians. As an additional treat, Congressmen Sean Casten joined us!

Enjoying the flora with Rep. Sean Casten (in green hat).

Outings Committee Chair Mike Davis (right) explains
the geology of glacial kames.

Our final treat, the beautiful Closed Bottle Gentian 

(Gentiana andrewsii). Photo by Ed Max.

Learn more about the fen at: https://fpdcc.com/places/locations/bluff-spring-fen/

A Walk Through Willowbrook Wildlife Center

By Connie Schmidt

Ruth Najacht was an avid Sierran, birdwatcher, government observer, and a nature enthusiast. She was active with the RPG for many years. When Ruth passed last December, her friends from RPG decided to remember her with a tour of the Willowbrook Wildlife Center during the summer months. This special facility cares for and rehabs wounded wildlife. 

Over 20 friends and some of her family from as far as Champaign gathered at the Center on a nearly 100-degree day in July.  Leigh, a Willowbrook naturalist, gave an interesting chat and slide show overview of the many facets of this amazing facility.  The group headed out to tour the loop of disabled permanent residents living there and for a special treat, stopped to feed the friendly woodchuck!

At the end of the walk the group gathered inside for refreshments and some memories of Ruth from her family and Forest Preserve Commissioner Mary Lou Wehrli. As a final gesture of remembrance, the group made a collection for donations in Ruth’s memory. $500 was collected, with the IL Chapter offering a $1000 donation, as well. The funds will go for the general account of Willowbrook Wildlife Center. An engraved brick with a memory of Ruth will be purchased in Ruth’s memory.  Here’s to a life well lived, thank you Ruth Najacht!

An American Icon: Utah's Red Rock Canyonlands

The River Prairie Group will co-host a program entitled “Wild Utah: America’s Red Rock Wilderness” on Thursday, October 3, at 7:00pm, at the Glen Ellyn History Center. The speaker will be Clayton Daughenbaugh, conservation organizer with the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance and Chair of the Sierra Club’s Wildlands and Wilderness Team.

The program includes a short film, “Wild Utah”. This award-winning 15-minute journey through red rock splendor motivates viewers to participate in the movement to protect these unique and threatened public lands.

America’s red rock wilderness draws pilgrims from around the world.  It is the largest network of undesignated wilderness lands remaining in the lower 48 states. President Trump is threatening to eliminate large portions of Bears Ears and the Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments, and his carbon-fueled “energy dominance” policy is threatening these wild lands and the climate.

The Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, Sierra Club, and their partners in the Utah Wilderness Coalition seek to gain local support for the “Citizens’ Proposal” to protect wilderness areas in Utah’s red rock canyonlands. Comprehensive legislation is pending in Congress.

Water Sentinel Program Expands to Forest Preserve

File photo

By Shannon Burns

This summer brought a new partnership for the River Prairie Group’s Water Sentinel Program.

For over a decade, volunteers for the River Prairie Group (RPG) have been monitoring water quality in three rivers within DuPage County: Salt Creek and the east/west branches of the DuPage River.

Starting in May, 2019, three lakes within the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County have been added to the monitoring program: Pratt’s Wayne Woods, Wood Dale Grove, and Hidden Lake. Lake water will be tested six times during the year, using the same criteria as that used for testing river water. Currently, samples are analyzed for phosphorus, chloride, ammonia, and nitrates. Sample analysis is based on Illinois's statewide general use water-quality standards.

“We’re excited about this partnership with the River Prairie Group’s Water Sentinel Program,” said Dan Grigas, fisheries ecologist for the District. “This program allows the District to begin a data base at a small sample of our lakes, using the same equipment and testing techniques established by the Sierra Club’s existing program.”

Regular water-quality monitoring has many uses, including establishing a historical record to help with identifying long-term trends in seasonal and yearly water variations. Monitoring these variations will help the District plan for fish and wildlife needs.

This all-volunteer effort, one of the oldest and broadest programs of its type, is seeking additional water collectors for the lake water testing program. Collecting water takes place on the first Saturday of each month and takes about one hour to complete. Contact Shannon Burns for more information or to volunteer: 630-779-4893 or Shannonburns112@aol.com. 

Ferry Forest Garden Experience!

By Jodi Trendler

Join us for a guided tour of The Resiliency Institute's Ferry Forest Garden and learn how to take your sustainable landscaping to the next level. If you already garden for the pollinators and other wildlife, you can learn how to use permaculture by including plants and strategies for your human needs, as well. 

Photo by The Resiliency Institute

The Ferry Forest Garden is a demonstration for how communities can replace right-of-way lawns with public permaculture forest gardens, creating an edible park that grows food security and regenerates ecosystems. Planting began in spring 2015 with 20 trees funded by the Illinois Prairie Path. The garden now has over 30 shrubs, a huge lkultur berm, and much of the herbaceous layer. West Chicago High School donated almost 200 plants, and the rest were donated by community members and Forest Garden Friends, and paid for with proceeds from The Resiliency Institute's educational programming. The best part of permaculture design is that the objective is to design the work OUT of the garden to give you more time to enjoy. 

This evening will provide time to learn about the plants and the permaculture design approach used to build this garden, connect with friends, and enjoy some forest garden treats.

Thursday September 26 at 6:30 pm. The garden is located at 30w060 Ferry Rd., Naperville. We are meeting a bit early to capture as much daylight as possible for this outdoor adventure. Bring a friend!

Jeff's Joys

By Jeff Gahris, Chair
River Prairie Group Executive Committee

Jan Dugan (sitting) and Bonnie Gahris,
RPG volunteers

Our recent Green Trivia Night held in conjunction with the Prairie Food Co-op was an ultimate joy. We completely filled the Dry City Brewery in Wheaton with a delightful mix of guests from two different organizations, and we had good old-fashioned fun in abundance. Oh, yes, this was a smart crowd also, making it hard to stump with trivia questions. What made all of this possible was the planning committee, consisting of Michelle Coppedge, Jerry Nash, and Beth Peluse of the Co-op, and Jan Dugan and Bonnie Gahris of our own Membership and Outreach Team. We also had help from Kathy Franke and Nina Kadera also of the M&O Team. Allow me to celebrate and honor our volunteers who make our movement a reality.

Jeff introducing the Sierra Club to the audience

The winning trivia team

Prairie Food Co-OP board members
Michelle Coppedge (left)
and Beth Peluse

All photos courtesy of Prairie Food Co-op